Early in his fledgling career, the joke on hefty Bronx, New York, rapper Big Punisher was his penchant for taking huge breaths between never-ending stanzas of rhymes. But with performances like this past winter's ribald mack anthem "I'm Not a Player," the 400-pound Latin king established himself as a heavyweight of an entirely different nature – a lyrical giant with a Chris Rock-like knack for rapid witticisms.

Pun's rhyme deluge continues on his highly entertaining inaugural album, Capital Punishment. He expands his palette with guest turns from Wyclef Jean (on the reggae-tinged "Caribbean Connection"), Black Thought from the Roots (the tongue-twisting "Super Lyrical") and Wu-Tang's Inspectah Deck (with Prodigy from Mobb Deep, on the sublime, RZA-produced "Tres Leches"). The playful "Still Not a Player," the vengeful heartbreak ballad "Punish Me" and the brassy, triumphant "You Came Up" display this extra-large MC's musical and compositional range. "I recollect when I was just a boy eating Chips Ahoy/I wasn't allowed to raise my voice/Now I'm makin' noise," Pun reflects on the album's closer, "Parental Discretion" (featuring Busta Rhymes). Slipping comfortably into the lovable-street-tough niche popularized by the late, great Biggie Smalls, Big Punisher has delivered a debut remarkably devoid of fat. (RS 787)

CHAIRMAN MAO